Entry Opens for 2013 RHS Photographer of the Year

Monday 17 June 2013

The hunt is on for the world’s best garden photographer as entry opens for the 2013 RHS Photography Competition. Images that celebrate the wonder and diversity of gardens as well as displaying artistry, creativity and technical excellence will be in with a chance of winning the coveted title of RHS Photographer of the Year and a £1000 prize.

Now in its 17th year RHS Photographer of the Year has served as a stage for many renowned photographers and iconic images and is regarded as one of the most prestigious garden photography competitions in the world. Last year the competition attracted over eight thousand entries from across the globe.

Amateur and professional photographers can submit images in six adult categories including seasons, wildlife and people in the garden as well as two categories specifically for under-18s. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category from an overall prize fund of £5500. The competition is open until 1 November 2013.

Clive Nichols, judging panel chair, said: “Gardens and the natural world offer some of the most arresting, beautiful and challenging subjects a photographer could wish for. Winners of RHS Photographer of the Year really represent the gold standard of garden photography. I look forward to judging what I’m sure will be an equally strong crop of entries this year.”

Josie Elias, winner of RHS Photographer of the Year 2012, said: “Winning the competition was a huge honour and seeing my photograph all over the national and international press was very, very exciting. It led on to a whole new world of possibilities and the prestige of the title has really helped my career. I would encourage anyone, professional or amateur, garden lover or novice to enter.”

The internationally renowned judging panel includes: Clive Nichols, one of the world’s finest flower and garden photographers; Chris Collins, well known horticulturalist and Blue Peter gardener; Nick Adsett, Group Product Director of The Great British Card Company; Chris Young, garden writer and Editor of The Garden and Carol Sheppard, RHS Images Manager.

-Ends-

Notes to editors

Photographs are available to download at www.rhs.photoshelter.com. Registration is a simple process and free of charge. Please contact showspr@rhs.org.uk to gain access.

About the RHS Photographic Competition

Entries for the RHS Photographic Competition can be submitted online between 13 June and 1 November 2013. All entries must be submitted digitally and prints will not be accepted. Terms and Conditions for the 2013 RHS Photographic Competition as well as details of how to submit images can be found at www.rhs.org.uk/photocomp

Categories
Those aged 18 or over are invited to submit images in the following categories. All entries are eligible for selection for RHS Photographer of the Year.

• Plants: Plant portraits that show the plant, tree or shrub as a whole or near whole entity. For example a photograph that includes the flower, stem and leaves of one plant, and some sense of its immediate environment.

• Details: This could be a close-up of a plant or an abstract detail from a garden. This category is a great opportunity to show creativity and originality by selecting a unique perspective on plants or gardens.

• Gardens: Photographs of gardens and garden views. This could range from a pot on a windowsill to a sweeping panorama. It might be your own garden, one of the RHS Gardens or a garden you’ve visited on holiday.

• Seasons: Photographs illustrating the different seasons of the year. This might be a bright spring morning, a hot summer border, autumnal leaves or a snowy winter scene. The images should capture the essence of a particular season, not just by the plants growing, but by the light, the mood and atmosphere.

• Wildlife: Photographs of insects, birds and creatures found living wild in the garden throughout the year.
• People: Photographs of gardeners or of people enjoying a garden. Perhaps someone working in the garden, kicking back and relaxing or simply a portrait of someone in a garden.

Entries from those aged 18 and under are invited in the following categories and it is from these submissions that RHS Young Photographer of the Year will be chosen. All entries are also eligible for selection for RHS Photographer of the Year

• Young Photographer (age 11-17): A maximum of five photos can be entered depicting anything garden related that catches your eye.

• Children’s Photographer (under 11): A maximum of five photos can be entered depicting anything that interests you in your garden.

Prizes
RHS Photographer of the Year £1000
RHS Young Photographer of the Year £250 Wex Photographic vouchers

The Medici Cards Award
The Medici Cards Award will be decided from all competition entries, and will be presented to the photographer who submits the image best suited for reproduction as a greetings card.

The image will be published by Medici Cards as a greetings card. The photographer will be credited and will receive 200 copies of his or her card.

"Medici" is a registered Trademark of the Medici Society Ltd and is used under licence.

Entry Fees
Adults 18 and over (non-members) £6 per image
Adults 18 and over (RHS members) £5 per image
Under 18s: FREE

About the RHS
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood for the encouragement and improvement of the science, art and practice of horticulture. We held our first flower shows in 1820, were granted a Royal Charter in 1861 and acquired RHS Garden Wisley, the first of our gardens, in 1903. From our first meetings in a small room off London’s Piccadilly, we have grown to become the world’s largest gardening charity.

Today the RHS is committed to providing a voice for all gardeners. We are driven by a simple love of plants and a belief that gardeners make the world a better place. 200 years on we continue to safeguard and advance the science, art and practice of horticulture, creating displays that inspire people to garden. In all aspects of our work we help gardeners develop by sharing our knowledge of plants, gardens and the environment.

RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk/join

About the RHS

The RHS believes that gardening improves the quality of life and that everyone should have access to great garden experiences. As a charity we help to bring gardening into people's lives and support gardeners of all levels and abilities; whether they are expert horticulturists or children who are planting seeds for the very first time.

RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk